Lucasarts making open-world RPG, FPS and aerial combat games

humanji

Although some of this is slightly old news (well the linked articles say it is, but it's the first I've heard), this might interest some. Granted Lucasarts have probably at this stage had more misses than hits, I still get excited when I hear they're making something.

The first game is an open-world RPG with little known about it:

Gamespot wrote:

Last year, Ubisoft Montreal creative director Clint Hocking jumped ship to work at LucasArts on an unannounced project. While that project remains unknown, one detail may have emerged thanks to Hocking himself.
Clint Hocking.


Hocking last night posted a link on his Twitter account to a new job opening on the recruiting site of LucasArts' parent company, Lucasfilm. The posting is for a gameplay engineer to work on an open-world role-playing game. The listing included no details about the title, but the ideal candidate would possess console development experience as well as "passion for making and playing innovative games."

LucasArts followed that up with a Twitter post of its own, saying, "It should be noted that we're hiring for a number of positions and games" in addition to Hocking's. Hocking did not specify that the position he linked to was his own game but back in June posted on Twitter that he was "prepping to open new positions." Yesterday's post linking to the job opening also referred to his previous mention of new openings.

At the moment, LucasArts has announced few upcoming projects. Those games consist of Kinect Star Wars for the Xbox 360 and the PC online game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is primarily being developed by Electronic Arts' BioWare Austin studio.

Hocking is best known for his work with Ubisoft, specifically on projects including the Splinter Cell series and Far Cry 2. For more on the developer's approach to game design, check out GameSpot's write-up of his Game Developers Conference 2011 presentation.

There's not a whole lot of info on the other two games:

Gamespot wrote:

Last month, LucasArts drew attention when it put up a job posting for a gameplay engineer to work on an as-yet-unannounced open-world role-playing game. That's not the only secret project in the works at the publisher, as LucasArts' job pages now include listings for developers to work on an action adventure game, a first-person shooter, and an aerial combat game.

LucasArts' history of aerial combat games includes a few gems.

LucasArts has a history in all three genres. In the '90s, the company's X-Wing series of Star Wars flight combat games were among the most popular such titles on the PC. While the publisher also has its Secret Weapons series of World War II-era dogfighting sims (Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe and Secret Weapons Over Normandy), the requirements listed for the aerial combat game position indicate that experience in the genre, "especially space-based shooters," is a plus.

As for first-person shooters, LucasArts has produced titles in the genre both inside and outside of its prized Star Wars franchise. The Star Wars Dark Forces and Battlefront games are the publisher's best-known efforts in the genre, but it also produced a Western first-person shooter in 1997's Outlaws, as well as a more recent sci-fi effort with 2008's Fracture.

LucasArts' other famous film franchise has also provided the publisher with action adventures like Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine and Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. As for clues from the job opening, it notes only that "experience with cinematic action adventures is a plus."

At the moment, LucasArts has only a pair of upcoming projects
announced. Those games consist of Kinect Star Wars for the Xbox 360 and the PC online game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is primarily being developed by Electronic Arts' BioWare Austin studio.

Now in all likelyhood we'll be delivered a trio of forgettable games. But today I feel like wild, unfounded speculation. So could we be seeing a revival of the likes of Dark Forces? Or maybe even the X-Wing series? Lord knows I've wanted the latter since the originals came out.

What do you think, and what would you like to see?

gizmo

What would I like to see?
A new Dark Forces II/Jedi Knight game, preferably first person.
A space shooter in the vein of X-Wing Alliance.
A new Rogue Squadron.


What would I not like to see?
Anything set in the new trilogy universe.
The above games done to a similar standard of Force Unleashed II.


What do I expect to see?
Minimum two games set in the new trilogy universe.
Minimum two games done to a similar standard of Force Unleashed II.

Liber8or

Open world RPG: Knights of the Old Republic 3?
FPS: Jedi Knight III/Battlefront 3?
Aerial Combat: X-Wing?

Would love to see a new Jedi Knight game, JKII: Outcast is still one of my favourite games.

Kiith

Do i have to choose between them? Can't we have an open world rpg, with the melee combat from Jedi Knight series and the space combat from the X-Wing series?

I can dream, can't i?

humanji

Kiith wrote: »

Do i have to choose between them? Can't we have an open world rpg, with the melee combat from Jedi Knight series and the space combat from the X-Wing series?

I can dream, can't i?

Wasn't Star Wars Galaxies like that?

Kiith

humanji wrote: »

Wasn't Star Wars Galaxies like that?

Maybe, but i want a better version and for it to be single player.

GarH

I would love a new X-Wing/Tie-Fighter type space combat game.
And a 3rd KOTOR, even just to tie up the loose ends left by the last game.

spankmaster2000

Lucasfilm is bringing out a WW2 "aerial combat" film next year. (Sorry to pidgeon-hole "Red Tails" in that ham-fisted way!)

Am I being overly sceptical to think that "aerial combat game" is simply a lucasarts cash-grabbing tie-in for that, rather than a tie-fighter ressurection?

Liber8or

spankmaster2000 wrote: »

Lucasfilm is bringing out a WW2 "aerial combat" film next year. (Sorry to pidgeon-hole "Red Tails" in that ham-fisted way!)

Am I being overly sceptical to think that "aerial combat game" is simply a lucasarts cash-grabbing tie-in for that, rather than a tie-fighter ressurection?

You are probably right... "Introducing Lego Red Tails!" :P

Branoic

spankmaster2000 wrote: »

Lucasfilm is bringing out a WW2 "aerial combat" film next year. (Sorry to pidgeon-hole "Red Tails" in that ham-fisted way!)

Am I being overly sceptical to think that "aerial combat game" is simply a lucasarts cash-grabbing tie-in for that, rather than a tie-fighter ressurection?

Except the job description actually specifies:

Experience with flight sims, aerial shooters, and especially space-based shooters a plus

Hurry up and make Grim Fandango 2, dangnambit!